The invention relates to a convertible vehicle roof, which is movable between a closed position and an open position and which includes at least two roof parts which, in the closed position, are arranged in the longitudinal vehicle direction behind one another. They are interconnected by linkages whereby the front roof part is pivoted below the rear roof part during opening the roof.
DE 196 42 154 A1 discloses a hardtop roof including three roof parts which are joined by a kinematic chain structure such that they are disposed, in the longitudinal vehicle direction, directly behind one another when the vehicle roof is closed and are stored in a storage compartment behind the passenger compartment when the vehicle roof is open. The rear roof part is connected to the vehicle body, the intermediate roof part is connected to the rear roof part by a four joint kinematic linkage, and the front roof part is connected to the intermediate roof part by means of a pivot joint. For transferring the vehicle roof from the closed position to the open position, in which the roof parts are stored in a rear storage compartment, the intermediate roof part is moved into a parallel position below the rear roof part and the front roof part is pivoted below the intermediate roof part. The whole roof part pack comprising the three roof parts disposed on top of one another is then moved into the rear storage compartment.
It is problematic however that, in a closed position, the adjacent end faces of the front roof part and the intermediate roof part need to be disposed closely adjacent each other to provide for a tight connection but, during the relative pivot movement, collisions in the area of the adjacent end faces need to be prevented in order to ensure smooth and trouble-free operation of the vehicle roof over a long life. The linkage kinematics and the adjacent edges of the front and the intermediate roof parts are therefore subject to design limitations which reduce the number of design possibilities.
It is the object of the present invention to provide a convertible vehicle roof which consists of at least two relatively movable roof parts that can be reliably moved between closed and open positions over a long life period.
In a convertible vehicle roof, which is movable between closed and open positions, and which includes front and rear roof parts which are joined by a kinematic linkage arrangement by which the roof parts, which, in a closed position, are disposed closely adjacent each other, are, upon opening of the roof, first linearly moved apart before the front roof part is pivoted below the rear roof part for placement in a storage compartment.
In order to provide for these different relative movements, which are uncoupled from each other, the joint kinematics between the front and the rear roof part includes a slide structure, which permits the translatory displacement, and a pivot joint, which is supported by the slide structure and permits the pivot movement between the front and the rear roof parts. The timely subsequent translatory and pivot movements may be achieved by a corresponding control of the joint kinematics or one or respectively, several control members.
The sequence of translatory and pivot movement is preferably initiated by a single control member which preferably pivots a rotatable (pivot) component on which a lever and control arm arrangement is mounted, which converts the rotation of the rotatable part into a translatory and pivot movement of the front roof part relative to the rear roof part. The rotatable part is preferably in the form of a double arm rocker, to which two transfer links are connected, such that a first transfer link operates an exclusively linear slide member and the second transfer link is connected to a connecting arm extending between the front and the rear roof parts. The linear slide member is also connected to this connecting arm and is adapted to initiate translatory movement of the front roof part without pivoting it. The second transfer link is adapted, upon further rotation of the rocker, to pivot the connecting arm about a pivot axis in such a way that the front roof part is pivoted into a position below the rear roof part.
The pivot movements of the two transfer links, which are pivotably coupled to the rocker, are so tuned that, at the beginning of opening movementxe2x80x94when the front roof part performs an exclusively translatory movement with respect to the rear roof partxe2x80x94both transfer links perform, as a result of the pivot movement of the rocker, an about equal translatory forward movement, whereby the exclusively translatory displacement of the front roof part is achieved. Upon further rotation of the rocker, the pivot movement of the second transfer link is more pronounced than that of the first transfer link. This is achieved by an arrangement wherein the second transfer link is connected to the rocker at a greater distance from the axis of rotation of the rocker than the first transfer link whereby the front roof part is caused to a pivot. Because of the smaller distance of the first transfer link connection to the rocker from the rocker axis with respect to the second transfer link pivot connection, which is at a greater distance from the rocker axis of rotation, the second transfer link transfers a larger control movement to the connecting arm than the first transfer link which is connected to the connecting arm indirectly by way of the slide member.
The invention will become more readily apparent from the following description of preferred embodiments thereof on the basis of the accompanying drawings.